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Jury rules against Palin in libel lawsuit vs New York Times

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The famous 1964 Supreme Court ruling known as the New York Times v. Sullivan shields journalists from liability if they make unintentional errors. AFP/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/afp/02/15/20220215-nyt.jpg"/><figcaption>The famous 1964 Supreme Court ruling known as the New York Times v. Sullivan shields journalists from liability if they make unintentional errors. <em>AFP/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>A US jury on Tuesday rejected former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin&#x27;s claim that the New York Times had intentionally defamed her in a 2017 editorial.</p><p>The New York jurors ruled in the newspaper&#x27;s favor a day after the judge presiding over the case said he would dismiss the libel lawsuit irrespective of their verdict.</p><p>The civil trial was viewed by legal experts as a test case for the US Constitution&#x27;s First Amendment that protects free speech and journalistic freedom of expression.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/10/19/sarah-palins-husband-files-for-divorce">Sarah Palin&#x27;s husband files for divorce</a></li></ul><p>The bar to prove defamation in the United States is high, due to a famous 1964 Supreme Court ruling known as the New York Times v. Sullivan.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/global-filipino/world/01/20/16/conservative-icon-sarah-palin-endorses-trump-for-president">Conservative icon Sarah Palin endorses Trump for president</a></li></ul><p>A plaintiff needs to show that the defendant intended to cause harm. It is not sufficient to demonstrate that an error was made.</p><p>The ruling shields journalists from liability if they make unintentional errors.</p><p>District Judge Jed Rakoff said Monday he would toss out the case because Palin&#x27;s lawyers had failed to prove that the Times had acted with actual malice.</p><p>He added that he would allow the jury to reach a verdict anyway because it would &quot;greatly benefit&quot; a court when it hears Palin&#x27;s likely appeal. </p><p>The editorial linked a 2011 shooting in Arizona that wounded lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others with an ad run by Palin&#x27;s political action committee.</p><p>The ad, which ran shortly before the attack, showed Gifford&#x27;s congressional district in the crosshairs of a firearm.</p><p>The Times corrected the editorial the next day, saying there was nothing that could demonstrate that the perpetrator had been driven to act by that controversial ad.</p><p>Palin, a former governor of Alaska, was Republican candidate John McCain&#x27;s running mate during his 2008 election defeat to Barack Obama.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1912971" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The famous 1964 Supreme Court ruling known as the New York Times v. Sullivan shields journalists from liability if they make unintentional errors.